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LESSON 457

JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS

 

MEMORY VERSE: “For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing” (Deuteronomy 2:7).

TEXT: Deuteronomy 2:1-37

n the previous chapter, Moses began   to rehearse the history of the children of Israel to the new generation just before they entered Canaan. His purpose for this historical recall was to lead them into a fresh covenant with God and to challenge them to be faithful and obedient to Him when they eventually settle in the land. In our text, he continued the rehearsal with particular focus on their wilderness wanderings and years of divine chastisement. The entire story shines with gracious display of God’s condescension, unfailing love, longsuffering, mercy and goodness, even while chastising His people. Though Israel was under chastisement, God did not totally withdraw His presence and guidance from them. He provided for their needs and protected them in the wilderness.

 

Question 1: Mention some attributes of God that could be seen in the way He led Israel through the wilderness.

 

 

REVIEW OF ISRAEL’S JOURNEY FROM KADESH TO MOUNT SEIR (Deuteronomy 2:1-8; 1:4; Numbers 14:25; 20:14-21; Joshua 24:4).

 

    As a result of Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh-barnea, God told them to turn back to the direction of the Red sea. They were to wander in the wilderness until that  generation, which rebelled against God, were totally destroyed  (Numbers 14:33). Then, in obedience to God’s command, Moses led the entire congregation, including Caleb and Joshua back into the wilderness.

 

Question 2: What led to the wandering of the children of Israel in the wilderness?

 

    At the heart of Israel’s travail in the wilderness is unbelief coupled with deliberate rebellion against God. This attitude made their journey difficult and unduly prolonged; Moses, Caleb, Joshua and an untold number of innocent children who did not take part in their rebellion also suffered unnecessarily. Two, they complained and murmured against Moses and God. Yet Moses identified with them in their failure. The Lord also guided and directed their movement even during chastisement. God determined their path and how long they were to stay in a particular location (verse 3). This display of divine mercy was intended to teach the new generation of Israel, and indeed all mankind, the true nature of God’s love, and to encourage them to respond to Him with gratitude and worship. It should also encourage those who have sinned to quickly repent and forsake their sin. This is because the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance and longsuffering are intended to lead sinners to repentance (Romans 2:4).

    When Israel turned from Kadesh, they journeyed back to mount Seir where the descendants of Esau lived. And God commanded them not to meddle with them because He would not give them their land which He had given to the descendants of Esau. This teaches us that God has set the bounds for our habitation; therefore, we must respect boundaries (Acts 17:26) and recognize the rights and properties of others. Two, we must avoid unnecessary conflict, but relate peaceably with our neighbours (Romans 12:18; Hebrews 12:14; James 3:17). Israel and Edom were blood brothers, and their descendants were expected to maintain a brotherly relationship.

    Three, God keeps His promises to all men. Even though the descendants of Esau in mount Seir were not Israelites yet God kept His promise to give them the land (Genesis 36:8; Deuteronomy 2:5). If God could keep His promise even to those who did not have covenant relationship with Him, how much more will He fulfill His promises to us who have covenant relationship with Him through Christ.  Four, by preventing Israel from taking the land of the Edomites, God also preserved them from the temptation to settle down outside the land of promise just as they did  with the Amorites, east of Jordan (Numbers 32:1-5).

    As part of their peaceful overture to Edom, God commanded Israel to buy food or water from their territory.  He gave the command to encourage Edom to accept Israel’s offer of peaceful passage. Unfortunately, the Edomites rejected Israel’s offer and as such, they had to take another route round the land of Edom (Numbers 20:14-21).   

 

Question 3: Enumerate why God forbade Israel from meddling with the descendants of Esau and the lessons for believers.

 

 

REHEARSAL OF ISRAEL’S PASSAGE THROUGH MOAB AND AMMON (Deuteronomy 2:9-23; Genesis 19:36,37; Numbers 21:10-20; 14:29-35; 26:64,65; 2 Chronicles 20:10-12; 1 Corinthians 10:5).

 

    After leaving the territory of the Edomites, the children of Israel came to the lands of Moab and Ammon, both descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 19:36,37). Again, God commanded them not to distress the Moabites or contend with them in battle because He had already given the land of Moab, also known as Ar, to the descendants of Lot for a possession. Similarly, they were not allowed to distress the children of Ammon or meddle with them because their land would not be given to Israel (Deuteronomy 2:9,19).

    For the same reasons of not wanting to renege on His earlier promise to Lot and his descendants, God disallowed Israel from possessing their lands. Moreover, the land of promise, flowing with milk and honey, to which Israel has been called is far better than what they would have should they settle down elsewhere. Believers need to know that God will always work for and give them the best. He will not give us anything short of His perfect will and purpose. We should therefore not settle for His second best even if what is presented to us looks like it. The treasures of this world are fleeting and should be held with loose hands.  True wisdom demands that we should not set our hearts   at anytime.

 

Question 4:  In what ways did God manifest His goodness and severity in dealing with Israel in the wilderness?

 

    As Israel went on in their journey through the wilderness, God continued to give them physical provision and guidance. But the generation of men of war that rebelled against Him were destroyed from the congregation “for indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed” (Deuteronomy 2:15). Here we see both the goodness and severity of God, the interplay of His mercy and His judgment. In mercy He cared for them and preserved them, but in judgment He overthrew those who believed not. “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (Romans 11:22). In the Old Testament God revealed Himself as “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6,7). This warns us then not to take the goodness of God for granted. As believers, we must not toy with sin in any form, otherwise God’s mercy will give way to His judgment.

 

RECORD OF ISRAEL’S CONQUEST OVER THE KINGDOM OF SIHON (Deuteronomy 2:24-37; 20:10-18; Numbers 21:21-31)

 

    After Israel had passed through the lands of Moab and Ammon, they crossed into the land of Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon and God specifically told them to contend with him in battle and take his land. The reason God told Israel to contend with him and possess his land should be very obvious: the iniquity of the Amorites was now full (Genesis 15:16) and Israel happened to be God’s instrument of judgment against them.

 

Here we see God’s longsuffering and patience at work. He gives individuals or nations opportunity to repent and amend their ways because a day of reckoning lies ahead. Before now He had given the Amorites opportunity to turn from wickedness saying that their cup of iniquity was not yet full. That God now wants to overthrow their kingdom is a proof that they had refused to turn to God. We learn therefore that no matter how long wickedness had thrived, God will surely bring it to judgment. Moreover, the lands of Edom, Moab and Ammon, which were spared for the time being, were greatly distressed and subdued by the kings of Israel when they violated the principles of brotherhood and peaceful co-existence on which their security depended (1 Samuel 14:47; 2 Samuel 8:11,12; 2 Chronicles 20:1-27). These nations are also among those that would be possessed by Israel in due time in the future (Psalm 60:6-9; Isaiah 11:14; 63:1-5; Jeremiah 48:47; Amos 9:12).

    Therefore, it was not a case of partiality with God to have ordered that the Amorites be defeated in battle. Even to Israel, He warned them not to fall into the same judgment. “Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: and the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: that the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you” (Leviticus 18:24-26,28). This shows there are no sacred cows with God. If a believer backslides and commits the sins that the unregenerate commits, he or she would suffer the same fate, except he repents. There is no guarantee of God’s favour upon a sinner except he or she repents and comes back to God.  

 

Question 5: Why was it necessary for the Israelites to offer Sihon a proposal of peace since God had already told them to contend with him in battle?

 

          God said to Israel, “behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle”

Deuteronomy 2:24). Though God said He had given Sihon into the hand of Israel, Moses still sent messengers to him requesting peaceful passage through his land. They decided to offer Sihon a proposal of peace lest they be seen as the aggressors; and so that he (Sihon) could prove himself deserving of Israel’s military assault against his land. This approach, whereby a city was offered terms of peace before an assault, was actually God’s idea and standard for Israel (Deuteronomy 20:10-12). It was evidence that peaceful settlement of controversies should be preferred to war, and believers should be predisposed to making peace.

          Unfortunately, Sihon rejected Israel’s terms of peace. His heart was hardened, just as Pharaoh’s because the day of his judgment had come. He mobilized his army to attack Israel but he was roundly defeated and his land was taken. So, with the defeat of Sihon, Israel began the conquest of the lands near the Promised Land towards the end of their fortieth year after leaving Egypt. In the defeat of Sihon the king of Heshbon, we see the danger of pride and hardness of heart against God. Of a truth, “only by pride cometh contention” and “pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 13:10a; 16:18). To avoid eternal destruction, sinners and backsliders must humble themselves and repent before God; otherwise, they will be destroyed and that without remedy (Proverbs 29:1).